Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology

Facilities and equipment

Dedicated labs for program students

The department houses a number of dedicated labs where students gain experience in the analysis of organics, inorganics, and biomolecules. Students will receive training in lab safety, good lab practices, and lab technique. In addition, the tools or instruments chemists and biochemists use for analysis are a big part of their training. Students receive hands on training pertaining to the operation and use of lab instruments.

Instrumentation Lab

Two Atomic Absorption Spectrometers (flame and graphite furnace atomizer) for the analysis of metals

Gas Chromatograph (dual column with flame ionization and conductivity detector) for the analysis of volatile organics such as components in biodiesel and simple hydrocarbons.

Two Agilent Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometers (GC/MS) for analysis of organic compounds at low concentrations such as parts-per-billion (ppb). Example compounds include pesticides in fruits and vegetables or PAH’s in water and sediment. Automated online extraction instrumentation such as solid phase micro-extraction is in use in 2nd year courses and in applied research projects

High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph with UV/Vis and Fluorescence detectors with data acquisition software for quantitative analysis of chemicals such as Bisphenol A